But as the furor grew, Pacquiao posted an apology of sorts on Facebook on Tuesday.
“I'm
sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals,” Pacquiao
wrote. “Please forgive me for those I've hurt. I still stand on my
belief that I'm against same sex marriage because of what the Bible
says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the
Lord. God Bless you all and I'm praying for you.”
Pacquiao
also served as a pitchman for Wonderful Pistachios and Nestle, although
representatives for both companies said they don’t have him under
contract currently.
“Wonderful Pistachios is not currently
affiliated with Manny Pacquiao nor do his views align with ours,”
Wonderful Pistachios spokesperson Jennifer George told USA TODAY Sports.
“Wonderful Pistachios stands firmly for diversity and equality and we
proudly support marriage equality and inclusion around the world.”

Like Wonderful Pistachios, Nestle worked with Pacquiao as recently as 2015, according to spokesperson Roz O’Hearn.A petition was launched on Change.org by Rutgers University graduate student Aries Dela Cruz on Tuesday urged Nike to drop Pacquiao.
“Pacquiao's
expressions of homophobia and bigotry disqualifies him from being
honored, endorsed and sponsored by one of the world's largest
publicly-traded and owned athletic companies, particularly one that is
celebrated and well-known for their promotion of sportsmanship and
excellence,” Dela Cruz wrote in the petition that had more than 1,600
signatures as of noon Wednesday.
Activists have also attempted to get the #droppacman hashtag to trend on social media.